Ukraine is revising its security strategy, relying on its own army and defense industry due to the unreliability of Western guarantees.
Ukraine fears that it will be forced to defend itself in the event of a new conflict, and that Western security guarantees will prove useless.
Politico writes about this.
The publication notes that “any security guarantees appear highly unreliable.” Therefore, Ukraine's “Plan B” is to rely on its own resources.
The head of Ukraine's mission to NATO, Olena Getmanchuk, stated that Kyiv has undergone a “fundamental rethinking of what security guarantees mean and what they should be based on.”
The publication writes that without joining NATO, Ukraine must rely on special agreements with Western partners, which may not carry the same weight as its commitments to the alliance. Kyiv is wary of such deals, having already been burned by the empty promises of the US and UK under the Budapest Memorandum.
Concerns are heightened by “the failure of Trump's promises, driven by his abrupt policy changes.”
Therefore, the publication writes that Kyiv is relying on the “steel porcupine” concept, voiced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. This concept includes an 800,000-strong Ukrainian army, as well as its own missile and drone production.
“Previously, the primary focus was on defense commitments provided by partners. Today, there is a clear understanding that the core of any security guarantees must be the Ukrainian army and its defense industry. This reflects both disappointment in Ukraine's previous security commitments and skepticism about NATO membership prospects, as well as growing confidence in Ukraine's ability to resist,” said Getmanchuk.
